Cannibalism in the Middle Ages: Notes about the Historical Reasons and Psychology of Eating Human Flesh

Abstract

Although the phenomenon of cannibalism is often seen with suspicion by modern academic circles, numerous medieval sources written in different locations, time periods and cultures contain rich examples of events on this subject. Although an act such as eating human flesh is not a commonplace of daily life, it would be a mistake to dismiss the narratives that persistently cluster in the chronicles of the period as purely fictitious without a thorough analysis of the causes. The most common causes of cannibalism were severe starvation crises and famine, according to medieval authors. However, various case examples indicate that this extraordinary activity took place in different geographical and cultural circles for different reasons. Although many incidents are narrated in the sources of the period, specific studies evaluating, categorizing or subjecting mentality analysis to cannibalism in the Middle Ages are limited. This article aims, on one hand, to classify the causes and justifications of cannibalistic acts that took place in the Middle Ages, and on the other hand, to analyse the variable psychology behind such acts.